40 AHIlElD*. 



Mr. Tom Carter, writing me from Western Australia, remarl<s ; — "(.)f lUitorcidcs javanica, 

 one or two of these very skulking little birds could always be lUished from a patcli of mangroves 

 near the North-West Cape, in North-western Australia. They would keep very close to the 

 cover, but when compelled to fly out, flew well and swiftly to another patch of mangroves, 

 uttering a harsh and loud cry. No doubt they bred there. Once one was seen at the rocky 

 pools of the Vardie Creek, where there was no cover." 



The eggs are three or four in number for a sitting, elliptical in form, of a uniform pale 

 bluish-green, the shell being comparatively close-grained, dull and almost lustreless. A set 

 of four taken by Mr. George Savidge at Copnianhurst, on the Upper Clarence River, 

 on the 7th November, i8g8, measures: — Length (A) i'64 x i'23 inches; (B) 1-63 x 

 i'25 inches; (C) f66 x 1-26 inches; (D) 1-55 x 1-22 inches. Another set of four taken by 

 Mr. Savidge in the same locality measures : — Length (A) i-65 x 1-25 inches. This specimen 

 is represented on Plate B. X\TII., fig. 8. (B) r68 x 1-22 inches; (C) i'6S x 1-23 inches; 

 (D) 1-62 X 1-22 inches. Many of these eggs are smeared with lime. It will be noted that 

 in many nests examined by Gilbert at Port Essington, each contained eitlier two eggs or two 

 young birds. But on the Clarence River, and in the neighbourhood of Sydney four eggs almost 

 invariably form the complement. 



Young birds vary considerably in colour from the adults in plumage, ha\ing the upper parts 

 dull earthy-brown, with which are intermingled some dull green feathers on the back ; scapulars 

 slaty-grey with earthy-brown margins; edge of the wing white; upper wing-coverts and inner- 

 most secondaries dull greenish-grey, externally edged with ochreous-buff, and having a white 

 spot at their tips ; tail dull greenish-grey; forehead, crown of the head and elongated nuchal 

 plumes dull green ; sides of head ochreous-buff, strealced with butT: throat and all the under 

 surface longitudinally streaked with buff and black-ish-brown, the feathers on the lower breast 

 washed with ashy-grey, passing into Inifly-white streaked with brown on the abdomen. The 

 wing measurement of a young male equals that of the adult, 7-7 inches. 



In New South Wales September and the three following months constitute the usual 

 breeding season. 



Ardetta pusilla. 



MINUTE BITTEKX. 

 Ardea pusilla, Vieill., Nouv. Diet. d'Hist. Nat., Tom. XIV., p. 432 (1817). 

 Ardetla pusilhi, Gould, Hds. Au.str., fol. Vol. VI., pi. G8 (1848) : id., Handbk. Bds. Austr., Vol. 



II., p. 319(186.5); North, Proc. Linn. Soc. N.S.W. (ind Ser.), Vol. X., p. 210 (189.">) ; 



Sharpe, Cat. Bds. Brit. Mus., Vol. XXVI., p. 234 (1808) : id., Hand-l. Bils., Vol. I., p. 



203 (1899). 

 Adult M-\LK. — Forehcdd, crouui <•( llu' head, uapp, hack, scapulars, innermost si-condaries and 

 tail featli.ers III ossy (ireenish-black ; a /mtch on ih' shoulder and Ihe edije of the ivin;/ rich chestnut; 

 remainder of the -upper imng-coi-erts goldeii-hu.ff\ forming a conspicuous jiatch on the tving ; quills 

 and primary corerts greyish-black ; a line over the eye and sides of Iteail and ueck chestnut, passing 

 into reddishrhesfnut on the hind-neck ; chin, centre of throat ami entire forc-ueck golden-hnff, darker 

 in the centre and passing into dull white on the sides of the chin and throat ; remainder oj the under 

 surface yellon-ish-hn.f, the feathers on the chest largely centred with black, the.-ie markings being rednced 

 to a long, narron; lanceolate broivnish-black stripe on. the centre of tlo fnthrrs on the sides of the 

 breast; under tail-coverts yellounsh-buff : bill pale greenish -yellow, culmen. brownish-black ; legs and 

 feel green, ; iris rich yellow. Total length in the, flesh 11 -5 inches, toing ■r2, tail 2, bill lu, tarsus 1 '7. 



